Death toll at 24 in Mexico petrochemical plant explosion

The death toll from a petrochemical plant explosion in southeastern Mexico has risen to 24, state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos has reported. Pemex raised the toll from the 13 fatalities previously known and also said 19 people remained hospitalised, with 13 of them in serious condition.

Earlier in the day, desperate relatives gathered outside the plant in the industrial port city of Coatzacoalcos, on Mexico’s southern Gulf coast, hoping for news about loved ones still unaccounted for. At the time, officials said 18 workers had been reported missing.